Nicopolis (titular see, Armenia)
Encyclopedia
Nicopolis was a Roman
colony founded by Pompey
in 63 BC in the Pontus
(in northeastern Turkey
), at the end of the third Mithridatic War
. Today, the city of Koyulhisar
stands there.
after his decisive victory over Mithridates VI of Pontus
. It was situated in a well-watered plain lying at the base of a thickly-wooded mountain and settled by veterans of his army, as well as by the local peasantry. All the Roman highways intersecting that portion of the country and leading to Comana
, Polemonium
, Neocæsarea, Sebasteia, etc., radiated from Nicopolis which, even in the time of Strabo
, boasted quite a large population.
Given to Polemon
by Mark Antony
in 36 BC, Nicopolis was governed from 54 AD by Aristobulus of Chalcis
and definitively annexed to the Roman Empire
by Nero
, in the year 64 AD. It then became the metropolis of Lesser Armenia
and the seat of the provincial diet which elected the Armeniarch. Besides the altar of the Augusti
, it raised temples to Zeus Nicephorus and to Victory.
Christianity reached Nicopolis at an early date and, under Licinius
, about 319, forty-five of the city's inhabitants were martyred; the Eastern Orthodox Church
and Roman Catholic Church
venerate them on 10 July, St. Basil calls the priests of Nicopolis the sons of confessors and martyrs, and their church the mother of that of Koloneia. In ca. 472, St. John the Silent, who had sold his worldly goods, erected a church there to the Blessed Virgin.
In 499 Nicopolis was destroyed by an earthquake, with none save the bishop and his two secretaries escaping death. This disaster was irreparable, and although Justinian I
rebuilt the walls and erected a monastery in memory of the Forty-Five Martyrs, Nicopolis never regained its former splendour and was superseded by Koloneia.
Under Heraclius
it was captured by the forces of Chosroes II and thenceforth was only a mediocre city, a simple see and a suffragan of Sebasteia in Lesser Armenia, remaining such at least until the eleventh century, as may be seen from the various Notitiae episcopatuum
. In the 9th–11th centuries, it belonged to the theme of Koloneia
.
Under the Ottomans, the site of ancient Nicopolis was occupied by the Armenian village of Purkh, near the city of Enderes, in the sanjak
of Kara-Hissar and the vilayet of Sivas
.
in France. The Catholic Church venerates him on 14 March. The Catholic Church retains Nicopolis as a titular see
.
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
colony founded by Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
in 63 BC in the Pontus
Pontus
Pontus or Pontos is a historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region in antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Πόντος...
(in northeastern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
), at the end of the third Mithridatic War
Third Mithridatic War
The Third Mithridatic War was the last and longest of three Mithridatic Wars fought between Mithridates VI of Pontus and his allies and the Roman Republic...
. Today, the city of Koyulhisar
Koyulhisar
Koyulhisar is a town and a district of Sivas Province of Turkey. The mayor is İlhan Eren .The ancient city of Nicopolis stood at this place....
stands there.
History
The city was funded by PompeyPompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
after his decisive victory over Mithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates VI or Mithradates VI Mithradates , from Old Persian Mithradatha, "gift of Mithra"; 134 BC – 63 BC, also known as Mithradates the Great and Eupator Dionysius, was king of Pontus and Armenia Minor in northern Anatolia from about 120 BC to 63 BC...
. It was situated in a well-watered plain lying at the base of a thickly-wooded mountain and settled by veterans of his army, as well as by the local peasantry. All the Roman highways intersecting that portion of the country and leading to Comana
Comana
Comana is the name of several places:* three ancient episcopal cities in Asia Minor :** Comana, Cappadocia, still a Roman Catholic titular see and Orthodox titular see...
, Polemonium
Polemonium
Polemonium, commonly called Jacob's ladder, is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Polemoniaceae, native to cool temperate to arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and also in the southern Andes in South America...
, Neocæsarea, Sebasteia, etc., radiated from Nicopolis which, even in the time of Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
, boasted quite a large population.
Given to Polemon
Polemon
-Philosophers:*Polemon , the head of the Platonic Academy from 314-269 BC*Polemon of Athens, a 2nd century BC Stoic philosopher, also referred to as Polemon of Ilium*Polemon of Laodiceia, a 2nd century sophist-Kings:...
by Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
in 36 BC, Nicopolis was governed from 54 AD by Aristobulus of Chalcis
Aristobulus of Chalcis
Aristobulus of Chalcis was a son of Herod of Chalcis and his first wife Mariamne, hence a great-grandson of Herod the Great.In 55 AD, he was appointed by Nero as King of Armenia Minor, and participated with his forces in the Roman-Parthian War of 58–63, where he received a small portion of Armenia...
and definitively annexed to the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
by Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
, in the year 64 AD. It then became the metropolis of Lesser Armenia
Lesser Armenia
Lesser Armenia , also known as Armenia Minor and Armenia Inferior, refers to the Armenian populated regions, primarily to the West and North-West of the ancient Armenian Kingdom...
and the seat of the provincial diet which elected the Armeniarch. Besides the altar of the Augusti
Augustus (honorific)
Augustus , Latin for "majestic," "the increaser," or "venerable", was an Ancient Roman title, which was first held by Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus , and subsequently came to be considered one of the titles of what are now known as the Roman Emperors...
, it raised temples to Zeus Nicephorus and to Victory.
Christianity reached Nicopolis at an early date and, under Licinius
Licinius
Licinius I , was Roman Emperor from 308 to 324. Co-author of the Edict of Milan that granted official toleration to Christians in the Roman Empire, for the majority of his reign he was the rival of Constantine I...
, about 319, forty-five of the city's inhabitants were martyred; the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
and Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
venerate them on 10 July, St. Basil calls the priests of Nicopolis the sons of confessors and martyrs, and their church the mother of that of Koloneia. In ca. 472, St. John the Silent, who had sold his worldly goods, erected a church there to the Blessed Virgin.
In 499 Nicopolis was destroyed by an earthquake, with none save the bishop and his two secretaries escaping death. This disaster was irreparable, and although Justinian I
Justinian I
Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...
rebuilt the walls and erected a monastery in memory of the Forty-Five Martyrs, Nicopolis never regained its former splendour and was superseded by Koloneia.
Under Heraclius
Heraclius
Heraclius was Byzantine Emperor from 610 to 641.He was responsible for introducing Greek as the empire's official language. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the exarch of Africa, successfully led a revolt against the unpopular usurper Phocas.Heraclius'...
it was captured by the forces of Chosroes II and thenceforth was only a mediocre city, a simple see and a suffragan of Sebasteia in Lesser Armenia, remaining such at least until the eleventh century, as may be seen from the various Notitiae episcopatuum
Notitiae Episcopatuum
The Notitiae Episcopatuum are official documents that furnish Eastern countries the list and hierarchical rank of the metropolitan and suffragan bishoprics of a church....
. In the 9th–11th centuries, it belonged to the theme of Koloneia
Koloneia (theme)
The Theme of Koloneia was a small military-civilian province of the Byzantine Empire located in northern Cappadocia and the southern Pontus, in modern Turkey...
.
Under the Ottomans, the site of ancient Nicopolis was occupied by the Armenian village of Purkh, near the city of Enderes, in the sanjak
Sanjak
Sanjaks were administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire. Sanjak, and the variant spellings sandjak, sanjaq, and sinjaq, are English transliterations of the Turkish word sancak, meaning district, banner, or flag...
of Kara-Hissar and the vilayet of Sivas
Vilayet of Sivas
The Vilayet of Sivas ; ) was one of the vilayets of the Ottoman Empire. It was also one of the Six vilayets. The vilayet was bordered by Erzurum Vilayet to the east, Mamuretülaziz Vilayet to the south-east, the Trebizond Vilayet to the north and Ankara Vilayet to the west...
.
Bishops
Notable among the eight bishops mentioned by Le Quien is St. Gregory who, in the eleventh century, resigned his bishopric and retired to PithiviersPithiviers
Pithiviers is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. It is twinned with Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, England....
in France. The Catholic Church venerates him on 14 March. The Catholic Church retains Nicopolis as a titular see
Titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular bishop", "titular metropolitan", or "titular archbishop"....
.